Saint Augustine and Thomas Aquinas: the role of the State in Medieval Europe (video lecture)

Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas are among the most famous Western Medieval philosophers but they had very different views on the world and the role of the State. The contrast between Saint Augustine's pessimism and Saint Thomas' optimism is striking. What can we learn from these men and their views today?

This is Episode 02 in the series Medieval Thought on the political science channel Inventing Civilization.

Saint Thomas Aquinas (Italian: Tommaso d'Aquino, lit. 'Thomas of Aquino'; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church. He was an immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, within which he is also known as the Doct... More